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Kuchisake-onna (Slit-Mouthed Woman)
A beautiful woman in a surgical mask asks 'Am I pretty?' If you say yes, she removes the mask revealing a slit from ear to ear, then asks again. Wrong answers mean death. Panicked Japan in 1979.
1979 - Present
Japan
1000+ witnesses
Kuchisake-onna terrorized modern Japan.
The Legend
The encounter:
- Beautiful woman
- Surgical mask
- “Am I pretty?”
- If yes: reveals face
- Mouth slit ear to ear
The Question
No right answer:
- Say no: killed
- Say yes: “How about now?”
- Say yes again: face cut
- Say no: killed
- Escape needed
The Panic
1979 Japan:
- Mass hysteria
- Children escorted
- Schools warned
- Police patrols
- National fear
Escaping Her
Survival methods:
- Say “average”
- Throw candy (she loves it)
- Ask “Am I pretty?”
- Confuse her
- Run during hesitation
Origins
Multiple legends:
- Samurai’s wife
- Disfigured by husband
- Jealousy punishment
- Edo period
- Modern revival
Cultural Impact
Spread worldwide:
- Movies made
- Manga
- Video games
- Halloween costume
- Urban legend icon